She's won hearts playing bubbly Emma Brooker for the past four years as Coronation Street viewers have compared her lovable character to Weatherfield icon Raquel Wolstenhulme. But now Corrie star Alexandra Mardell says she is now looking forward to taking on new roles after announcing her exit from the soap.
Alexandra, who arrived on the famous street as pink-wearing Emma in April 2018, can sing as well as act. And one of her ambitions would be to play the fearsome orphanage owner Miss Hannigan in Annie, which would be a far cry from sweet Rovers Return barmaid Emma.
The 28-year-old actress, who starred in the crime drama Vera and the short film Chocolate Pieces before Corrie, says her co-stars at the Trafford-based soap were supportive when she revealed she was leaving.
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"I just want to play another character," she explained to the Manchester Evening News and other press. "There are just some other people I want to give a go as well."
Alexandra's ditzy character arrived as an apprentice at Audrey Robert's hair salon. And she had a short-lived fling with Audrey's grandson David Platt.
The following year she was part of a major storyline when her mum turned out to be Fiona Middleton and she found out that her biological father was Coronation Street legend Steve McDonald after losing the man she thought was her real dad. Three weeks after filming her final scenes, Alexandra is already auditioning for new roles.
"It's a lot busier than I thought which is lovely. I'm kind of open to anything. TV, film, theatre, musicals. I really would like to give everything a go now," she told us.
And she added: "I wanted to be Miss Hannigan in Annie but I might have to wait a while yet. I don't think I'm quite old enough."
Alexandra says she now avoids wearing pink because she wore so much of it at work. But as a souvenir she took Emma's big pink furry coat, and a pink checked skirt that she wore in her castcard.
Asked what she won't miss about Coronation Street, she admitted: "All the pink. Everything else I'll miss and early starts but that's for all actors."
Alexandra is leaving amid a storyline that has seen her character involved in the death of an elderly man called Ted, who she and Faye Windass accidentally ran over on New Year's Day.
Emma has struggled with the guilt while covering up for Ted's death after she and Faye discovered that he had died the next day. And the situation became even more complicated after meeting and falling for his grandson Jon Spear, who has invited her to make a fresh start with him in Australia.
But next week, when Faye tells him they are responsible for his grandad’s death, viewers will be wondering if Emma will end up leaving with Jon, go on the run or do time for the crime. Alexandra isn't giving anything away but she's happy with her exit which will be screened next month.
"I'm happy definitely. Yep. It is the right ending," she smiled.
One thing is for sure, Emma isn't being killed off and the door is being left open for her return.
"I'm so pleased that Emma is not being killed off. Really really pleased," she said.
"I'm always welcomed back if I can which is lovely. I don't know what the future holds but I'm glad Emma is alive."
Asked how will prison and Emma might work out Alexandra said: "It would not be good. I feel like she would be targeted straight away. Poor Emma.
"What would be interesting is to see if she went to prison, if she came back in future, how she would have changed."
